Jasper Johns
Ventriloquist

ExpandFavorite

Artist Jasper Johns (American, born 1930)American, born 1930

CultureAmerican

Titles

Ventriloquist

Date1983

PlaceUnited States

MediumEncaustic on canvas

Dimensions75 × 50 in. (190.5 × 127 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Agnes Cullen Arnold Endowment

Object number84.87

Current Location

The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building

Gallery 203

On view

Explore Further

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Object Type

PAINTING

DescriptionIn the mid-1950s, Jasper Johns and Robert
Rauschenberg revolutionized American art
through their appropriation of what Johns
described as the “things the mind already
knows.” Thirty years later, Johns resolved to
drop the reserve that characterized much of
his subsequent work, and with Ventriloquist
he conjures up a reverie of personal references,
ranging from his early Flag paintings and 1969
green, orange, and black “Moratorium” war
poster, to the works of artists he admires, to
the silhouette of a whale, alluding to Herman
Melville’s Moby-Dick. Like a ventriloquist
performing before an audience, Johns mobilizes
these images to address his place within the
rich abundance of American culture.
ProvenanceThe artist; [Leo Castelli Gallery, New York]; purchased by MFAH, 1984.
Exhibition History"Jasper Johns," Leo Castelli Gallery, New York, January 28–February 25, 1984.

"Jasper Johns: 1974–1986," American Pavilion, Venice Biennale, June 1–September 30, 1988; Philadelphia Museum of Art, October 23, 1988–January 8, 1989; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, June 17–August 19, 1990.

"Jasper Johns," Museum of Modern Art, New York, October 16, 1996–January 14, 1997; Museum Ludwig, Cologne, March 7–June 1, 1997; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, June 28–August 17, 1997.

"Modern and Contemporary Art: Spotlight on the Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 13–September 4, 2000.

"Jasper Johns’ Ventriloquism: Where Does the Voice Come From?," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, May 18–July 28, 2002.

"The Art of Illusion: Five Centuries of Trompe l'Oeil Painting in Europe and America," National Gallery of Art, Washington, October 13, 2002–March 2, 2003..

"Past Things and Present: Jasper Johns since 1983," Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, November 9, 2003–February 8, 2004; Greenville County Museum of Art, South Carolina, March 7–May 30, 2004; Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, July 10–September 19, 2004; IVAM Institut Valencia d'Art Modern, Spain, October 7, 2004–January 2, 2005.

"Jasper Johns: Works from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, November 15, 2005–January 23, 2006.

"The Past Made Present: Contemporary Art and Memory," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, September 2, 2006–January 15, 2007.

"Modern and Contemporary Masterworks from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, December 8, 2007–March 2, 2008.

"Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture," National Portrait Gallery, Washington, October 22, 2010–February 6, 2011; Brooklyn Museum, November 18, 2011–February 12, 2012; Tacoma Art Museum, Washington, March 17–June 10, 2012.

"Jasper Johns," Royal Academy of Arts, London, September 23–December 10, 2017; The Broad, Los Angeles, February 10–May 13, 2018.

"Jasper Johns: Mind/Mirror," Philadelphia Museum of Art, September 21, 2021–February 13, 2022.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Stenciled on lower left corner of recto in image: J Johns 1983

On verso upper left corner: VENTRILOQUIST
J Johns
1983

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.